Grenade with fuze

ABSTRACT

This invention relates to a dual purpose, artillery deliverable, submissile grenade effective for use against both personnel and armored material targets. The grenade has a fragmenting antipersonnel tubular housing means, a hollow, anti-materiel shaped charge cone operatively positioned proximate to the housing means, an explosive means operatively positioned intermediate to the anti-personnel housing and the shaped charge cone for fragmenting the tubular housing means and forcibly expelling the cone from the housing against the armored target, a fuzing means which is actuated by a ribbon stabilizer is fixedly attached to one end of the housing means to initiate the explosive means upon impact of the grenade on the target, and for holding the grenade in a safe unarmed position when the grenade is being delivered by artillery to the target.

United States Patent Wolterman [4 1 Oct. 21, 1975 GRENADE WITH FUZE [75] Inventor: William G. Wolterman, Huntington Beach, Calif.

[73] Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army, Washington, DC.

22 Filed: Aug. 11, 1972 211 Appl.No.: 282,081

[44] Published under the Trial Voluntary Protest Program on January 28, 1975 as document no.

NW Ill Primary Examiner verlin R. Pendegrass Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Nathan Edelberg; Robert P. Gibson; Max Yarmovsky [57] ABSTRACT This invention relates to a dual purpose, artillery deliverable, submissile grenade effective for use against both personnel and armored material targets. The grenade has a fragmenting anti-personnel tubular housing means, a hollow, anti-materiel shaped charge cone operatively positioned proximate to the housing means, an explosive means operatively positioned intermediate to the anti-personnel housing and the shaped charge cone for fragmenting the tubular housing means and forcibly expelling the cone from the housing against the armored target, a fuzing means which is actuated by a ribbon stabilizer is fixedly attached to one end of the housing means to initiate the explosive means upon impact of the grenade on the target, and for holding the grenade in a safe unarmed position when the grenade is being delivered by artillery to the target.

2 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures l llllllt. 35 limit 36 U.S. Patent Oct.21, 1975 Sheet 1 013 3,913,483

FIG. I

US. Patent Oct. 21, 1975 Sheet 2 of3 3,913,483

U.S. Patent Oct. 21, 1975 Sheet 3 of3 3,913,483

GRENADE WITH FUZE The invention described herein may be manufactured, used and licensed by or for the Government for governmental purposes without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Various means have been used in prior art munitions to defeat light materiel targets dispersed in an area. Aircraft-dispensed munitions have been designed to be effective against both exposed personnel and materiel and personnel protected by lightly armored vehicles such as those having approximately 2 inches of armor plating. However, there have been no artillery munitions capable of being fired from a field weapon which had equal effectiveness against both exposed personnel and armored targets or troops in light armored personnel vehicles. The present invention relates to a fuzed submissile which can be stacked in an artillery projectile and which serves the dual-purpose of having high lethality against personnel and lightly armored materiel targets. The prior art devices were not reliably capable of withstanding the approximately 20,000 g forces associated with artillery firings that results from the setback force at launch of the projectile and centrifugal force caused by projectile spin, and not fuzed on the point that impacts the target.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present device relates to a dual-purpose grenade that can be assembled with a plurality of other like grenades into an artillery projectile and fired at a target array that consists of personnel and/or lightly armored materiel. After the artillery projectile has been launched and while the projectile is above the target area, the projectile fuze is initiated to ignite a grenade propellant charge, which forces the grenades as a package, from the aft end of the shell. The circumferential, tangential, forces resulting from the aforementioned projectile spin disperse the grenade submissiles over a relatively wide area. After expulsion from the projectile a stabilizing device, which is attached to the rear nonimpacting side of the grenade, is deployed and trailed behind the grenade. The difference in wind resistance to the stabilizer and the grenade body causes a difference in spin rates between the grenade and the stabilizer. This difference in spin rate produces a torque force which unscrews a firing means which holds a slide detonator in a safe-unarmed position. The withdrawal of the firing pin permits an eccentrically weighted slider, which is responsive to the centrifugal force of the spinning grenade, to move the detonator from the safe" out-of-line position to an armed position where the detonator is locked in position so that it is inline with a secondary lead explosive. The grenade after expulsion from the projectile is deployed by the stabilizer so that it falls in a relatively vertical position with the impacting side toward the target. The grenade is composed of three main sections, a top fuze-stabilizer section, an intermediate anti-personnel cap fragmenting section, and a tubular impacting end having a fragmenting envelope which contains an armor piercing shaped charge therein. When the grenade impacts the target, the firing pin is driven into the slide detonator actuating it, which in turn fires the in-line lead explosive, which in turn actuates the main high-explosive charge. Theaforementioned cap-tube assembly fragments producing anti-personnel effects, while the shaped charge produces armor defeating effects.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide an artillery dispensed sub-munition which is effective against both personnel and light armor.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an artillery dispensed sub-munition which can reliably withstand the high setback and spin forces associated with an artillery firing.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an artillery dispensed sub-munition which is not fuzed on the point that impacts the target.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a dual purpose anti-personnel, anti-materiel artillery dispensed sub-munition which is vertically stabilized during dispersal.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a dual purpose artillery dispensed sub-munition wherein the stabilizing means unscrews the firing pin from a safe position to an armed position.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a dual purpose artillery dispensed sub-munition wherein a firing pin means hold a slide detonator in a safe out-of-line position prior to dispersal from the artillery projectile and is withdrawn therefrom prior to impacting on the target.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a dual purpose artillery dispensed sub-munition which has a slider means for holding a detonator out-of-line with an explosive lead in a safe position while the submissile is in the projectile and in an in-line, armed position, when the sub-missile has been expelled from the projectile prior to impact.

While certain objects, features, and advantages of the present invention have been specifically pointed out, others will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an isometric, partial cut-away, view of the dual purpose, anti-personnel, anti-materiel, grenade with fuze and attached stabilizer showing the general outer configuration of the device and the main inner structural elements.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the fuze portion of the grenade as illustrated in FIG. 1 taken along line 22 showing the firing pin means locking the slider in the, detonator out-of-line, safe position.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the fuze portion of the grenade as illustrated in FIG. 1 taken along line 22 showing the firing pin means partially withdrawn from the fuze housing and the slider firing pin locking hole, by the differential torque forces between the stabilizer and attached firing pin means and the cap-tube housing spin, and the radial movement of the eccentrically weighted slider caused by the grenade spin forces.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the fuze portion of the grenade as illustrated in FIG. 1 taken along line 22 showing the firing pin means fully withdrawn from the fuze housing and the stab detonator holding slider with the stab detonator in an in-line armed position and the slider locking spring holding the slider locked adjacent to the fuze slider housing.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the fuze portion of the grenade as illustrated in FIG. 1 taken along line 22 showing the inertially responsive firing pin means forcibly penetrating the stab detonator during the impact stage of the grenade against the target.

FIG. 6 is an exploded isometric view of the grenade fuze showing the firing pin axially withdrawn from the fuze housing, and the stab-detonator slider with attached lock spring withdrawn from the fuze housing slide groove.

Throughout the following description like reference numerals are used to denote like parts of the drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention is concerned with a dualpurpose grenade which can be stacked with other identical grenades in an artillery projectile, and used with equal effective lethality against anti-personnel and antimateriel targets.

Referring now to the grenade shown in FIG. 1, a cap anti-personnel fragmenting section 10 is threadedly positioned intermediate to a fragmenting tubular envelope on a threaded open end 11 and proximate to a fuze-stabilizer housing assembly 30 on the cap tube closed end 12. The cap inner wall 13 is embossed to improve its fragmentation and lethal effectiveness against personnel. The cap closed end 12 has an axially positioned lead hole 14 for holding therein a lead train detonator assembly 15. A pair of fuze housing holding bolts and nuts 16, and others, are operatively positioned in the cap closed end 12 to fixedly hold the fuzestabilizer housing assembly flange 32 adjacent thereto. The tubular envelope 20 has an internally threaded end 21 and an open stand off end 22. Intermediate to the aforesaid tubular envelope ends is a circular stand-off envelope wall rib 23 whose protruding inner wall 24 acts as a stop for the shape charge copper cone 25 which is force fit within the cylindrical envelope inner embossed fragmenting wall 26. A high explosive 27 is positioned intermediate to the lead cup detonator 15 and the space charge cone 25. The fuze-stabilizer housing 30 has a threaded axial firing pin retainer 31 which operatively engages cylindrical arming screw 33. A firing pin stabilizer shaft 34 is smaller in diameter than the housing arming screw retainer 31 and freely passes therethrough while the firing pin means 33 is in the safe position as shown in FIG. 1. The firing pin 37 operatively engages the rectangular shaped detonator slider 35 so that the stab detonator 36 is held in an out-of-line position with the lead cup detonator 15 when the fuze is in the safe position. A folded stabilizer ribbon 38 is fixedly attached to the firing pin stabilizer shaft 34 by an eyelet means 39.

Referring now to the longitudinal cross-sectional views in FIGS. 2, 3, 4, and 5, the detonator slider 35 has a stab detonator bore 40 and firing pin counter-sink bore 41, an eccentrically weighted slider end 42 having a beveled slider surface 43 to which is attached a flat slider lock spring 44. The fuze-stabilizer housing 30 has a rectangular shaped housing slider groove 45 oppositely positioned from the threaded housing arming screw 31 so as to slidably retain the slider 35 between the housing slider groove 45 and the cap closed end 12. The fuze-stabilizer housing 30 has a cylindrical arming screw bore 28 which is axial with the threaded housing arming screw 31 and oflarger diameter. The fuze longitudinal axis 47 of the threaded housing arming screw 31, the arming screw bore 28 and the cylindrical arming screw 33 are all-axially aligned. The cylindrical arming screw 33 has a threaded section 48, which operatively engages the internally threaded housing firing pin retainer 31, and is intermediate to the firing pinstabilizer shaft 34 and the firing pin clearance housing clearance shaft 49. A firing pin retaining flange 50 slidably fits within the arming screw bore 28 and is of a larger diameter than the bore in the threaded housing arming screw retainer 31 so that it will not fit therethrough. Intermediate to the firing pin 37 and the firing pin retaining flange 50 is a firing pin locating shaft 51, smaller in diameter than the firing pin counter-sink bore 41 and slidably fits therein.

FIG. 2 shows the cylindrical arming screw 33 engaging the detonator slider 42 so that the stab-detonator 36 is in the out-of-line safe position.

FIG. 3 shows the arming screw 33 partially retracted by the difference in the spin rates between the grenade and the stabilizer ribbon 38 produced torque forces on the arming means 33. The withdrawal of firing pin locating shaft 51 from the counter-sink bore 41 permits the eccentrically weighted slider 35 to react to the centrifugal forces of spin imparted to the grenade by the projectile spin.

FIG. 4 shows the arming screw 33 completely withdrawn and the slider 35 moved to the extreme right so that the stab detonator 36 is in the in-line armed position with the slide lock spring 44 locked against the fusing housing flange 32 so that the slider 35 cannot return to the out-of-line safe position.

FIG. 5 shows the arming screw 33 just after the grenade has impacted on the target and the firing pin 37 has penetrated the stab detonator 36 shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 shows an exploded isometrical projection of the fuze stabilizer housing 30, the stab detonator slider 35, the internally threaded arming screw retainer 31, and the cylindrical arming screw 33. The eccentrically weighted slider 35 has a parallel pair of low friction slider rails 52 and 52' which slidably fit within a parallel pair of slider housing rail grooves 53 and 53. The slider rail grooves 53 and 53' are located in the fuze housing flange 32 and are parallel to the longitudinal axis 54 of the rectangular housing slider bore 29. A cylindrical axial housing arming screw bore 28 slidably holds the cylindrical arming screw 33 therein when the grenade is in the aforementioned armed position. The axial arming screw bore 28 communicates with the rectangular housing slider bore 29 to allow the firing pin locating shaft 51 to locate within the slider firing pin countersink bore 41 when the slider 35 is in the safe position illustrated in FIG. 2.

In operation the grenade assembly as shown in FIG. 1 is assembled and stacked with other grenades into an artillery projectile (not shown) which is fired at a target array that consists of personnel and/or light armed vehicles. At a specific time, while the projectile is above the target, the artillery fprojectile fuze (not shown) functions, igniting a propellant charge (not shown), which forces the grenades as a package to disperse from the aft end of the shell. The tangential forces resulting from projectile spin disperse the submissile grenades over a wide area. As expulsion and dispersion of the grenades takes place the stabilizer ribbon 38 unfurls and trails behind the grenade. The difference in the spin rates between the grenades and the ribbon 38 produces torque force on the arming screw 33 which withdraws the firing pin 37 from the safe position shown in FIG. 1. The eccentrically weighted slider 35 is moved by centrifugal force so that the stab detonator 36 is in-line with the lead train detonator placing the grenade in the fully armed position shown in FIG. 4. When the grenade impacts the target, the firing pin 37 is driven forcibly into the stab detonator 36 because of the inertial mass of the cylindrical arming screw 33. The stab detonator 36, upon impact of the firing pin 37, causes the lead detonator 15 to ignite, which in turn initiates the high explosive charge 27. The cap-tube assembly fragments produce anti-personnel effects while the shape charge copper cone produces armor defeating effects.

From the above description it will be evident that the invention provides a grenade which is capable of withstanding the extreme forces associated with artillery firings, has a dual effective lethality against personnel and materiel, and is a submunition capable of artillery delivery that is not fuzed on the point that impacts the target.

I wish it to be understood that I do not desire to be limited to the exact detail of construction shown and described for obvious modification will occur to a person skilled in the art.

What is claimed is:

l. A dual purpose, artillery deliverable, submissile grenade for use against personnel and armored materiel targets which comprises:

a fragmenting, anti-personnel, hollow housing means, having a closed first end and a second open end which includes;

a hollow tubular member having an internally threaded end, a second unthreaded end, an internal concentrically protruding stand off wall rib positioned intermediate said threaded and unthreaded ends, an embossed inner housing wall intermediate said threaded end and said wall rib; and

a hollow cap having an externally threaded open end threadedly engaging said internally threaded end, said cap having an axially located cap lead train bore therein;

a hollow shaped charge cone positioned intermediate said first and second ends;

an explosive means charge which includes;

a high explosive shaped charge positioned intermediate said shaped charge cone and said closed first end for fragmenting said housing means, melting said shaped charge cone, and providing a high velocity molten jet streamfrom said open end against said target; and

a fuzing means fixedly attached proximate to said closed end for initiating said explosive means upon impact of said grenade on said target and for holding said grenade in a safe unarmed position when said grenade is being delivered by said artillery to said target.

2. A dual purpose, artillery deliverable, grenade as recited in claim 1 wherein said fuzing means comprises:

a lead train detonator fixedly positioned in said cap lead train bore;

a stab detonator positioned in said fuzing means in an out-of-line, safe position, with respect to said lead train detonator while said grenade is within said artillery, and in an in-line, armed position, when said grenade has been expelled by said artillery over said target;

a housing having an axially aligned cylindrical arming screw bore which communicates with a transversely positioned rectangular slider bore, said rectangular slider bore having its longitudinal axis perpendicular to said arming screw bore axis;

an internally threaded arming screw retainer axially positioned within said cylindrical bore;

a cylindrical arming screw operatively retained within said cylindrical housing bore by said retainer, said arming screw having a firing pin on one end and a firing pin threaded section on the other end;

a ribbon stabilizer fixedly attached to the threaded end of said arming screw; and

an eccentrically weighted detonator slider slidably held by said housing and said arming screw so that said stab detonator contained therein is held in an out-of-line position when said arming screw is in a safe position, and centrifugally moved by the spin forces of said grenade to an in-line armed position when said arming screw is withdrawn therefrom by the differential forces of spin on said grenade and said stabilizer when said grenade is expelled from said artillery over said target. 

1. A dual purpose, artillery deliverable, submissile grenade for use against personnel and armored materiel targets which comprises: a fragmenting, anti-personnel, hollow housing means, having a closed first end and a second open end which includes; a hollow tubular member having an internally threaded end, a second unthreaded end, an internal concentrically protruding stand off wall rib positioned intermediate said threaded and unthreaded ends, an embossed inner housing wall intermediate said threaded end and said wall rib; and a hollow cap having an externally threaded open end threadedly engaging said internally threaded end, said cap having an axially located cap lead train bore therein; a hollow shaped charge cone positioned intermediate said first and second ends; an explosive means charge which includes; a high explosive shaped charge positioned intermediate said shaped charge cone and said closed first end for fragmenting said housing means, melting said shaped charge cone, and providing a high velocity molten jet stream from said open end against said target; and a fuzing means fixedly attached proximate to said closed end for initiating said explosive means upon impact of said grenade on said target and for holding said grenade in a safe unarmed position when said grenade is being delivered by said artillery to said target.
 2. A dual purpose, artillery deliverable, grenade as recited in claim 1 wherein said fuzing means comprises: a lead train detonator fixedly positioned in said cap lead train bore; a stab detonator positioned in said fuzing means in an out-of-line, safe position, with respect to said lead train detonator while said grenade is within said artillery, and in an in-line, armed position, when said grenade has been expelled by said artillery over said target; a housing having an axially aligned cylindrical arming screw bore which communicates with a transversely positioned rectangular slider bore, said rectangular slider bore having its longitudinal axis perpendicular to said arming screw bore axis; an internally threaded arming screw retainer axially positioned within said cylindrical bore; a cylindrical arming screw operatively retained within said cylindrical housing bore by said retainer, said arming screw having a firing pin on one end and a firing pin threaded section on the other end; a ribbon stabilizer fixedly attached to the threaded end of said arming screw; and an eccentrically weighted detonator slider slidably held by said housing and said arming screw so that said stab detonator contained therein is held in an out-of-line position when said arming screw is in a safe position, and centrifugally moved by the spin forces of said grenade to an in-line armed position when said arming screw is withdrawn therefrom by the differential forces of spin on said grenade and said stabilizer when said grenade is expelled from said artillery over said target. 